So, Campaign have released their list of the ten worst adverts to grace, or rather to shame, our television sets this year. And they’ve undoubtedly hit the nail on the head with at least a few of the ‘winners’.
Who could forget the sublime, stilted acting by those three luminaries of the sports arena, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry, in Gillette’s painfully expensive and utterly useless spot? Stick to the day job, boys; this ad showed the folly of expending huge amounts of your budget on the dubious thespian abilities of stars who have built their sporting reputations through steely-eyed determination and the ability to quell the emotions which an actor must nurture. Who knew they’d be unable to transfer their superiority from the theatre of athletics into the theatre of, well, theatre? David Beckham must be stroking his nascent stubble and cackling quietly at their misfortune.
However, I’m not sure the Gillette spot deserved number one placement in the list of turkeys. For my money, by far the worst advert to appear on our screens this year was the abysmal and infamous ‘Rockstar’ advert by DFS. This slanderous attack on our eyes featured normal people ‘dancing’ near cut-price sofas while lip-synching to a hit song by sludgy rockers Nickelback, which aspires to the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. This would be bad enough, but the advert attempts to reach all age groups by the judicious use of some older actors, whose slinky hips and desperate word-mouthings merely add to the sense of awkwardness and shame perpetuated by the whole shebang. To add insult to serious injury, the advert was subsequently banned for making the sofas look bigger than they actually were. A case of red faces all round for the creatives involved, to whom the only question one can put is “What were you thinking?!”
Other ads featured in the list include Renault’s ill-fated foray into the ‘dubbed advert’ sector, the Samsung spot featuring various Chelsea football players stiffly shoehorned into bad suits, and Dame Kelly Holmes’ strangely bewildering effort for Kellogg’s.
However, there are a couple of entries that seem to have made their way onto the list in error. The Specsavers advert featuring Edith Piaf, for example, was a fresh take on a hugely successful concept, though I can accept that some people may have found it slightly too bizarre for their tastes. And the Orangina ad, replete with pole-dancing animals in a forest scene, has undoubtedly confused a large portion of the viewing public: apparently the cavorting critters were seen as deviants, rather than anthropomorphic demonstrators of the energy-giving properties of a ‘naturally fruity’ orange-flavoured drink.
So without further ado, here are the top ten ‘worst adverts’ of 2008 according to Campaign. All I can say in conclusion is “Where’s Kerry Katona?”
1. Gillette - Roger Federer, Thierry Henry and Tiger Woods
3. Renault
4. Warburtons
6. Kellogg's ad featuring Kelly Holmes
7. Orangina
8. Premier Inn
9. Samsung
10. Sofa maker DFS
Tom King
Dec 16, 2008
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